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A Faithful Adaptation... This Franco Zeffirelli directed production from the late 70's is, without doubt, the most faithful telling of the story of the life of Christ, in relation to the four Gospels, yet seen on any screen, big or small. And that, paradoxically, leads to some strange "omissions;" for instance, we have the Raising of Lazarus, but no "Walking on Water," and similarly, we see the Feeding of the Five Thousand, but the "Wedding at Canaan" is conspicuous by its absence. I'm no Biblical Scholar, but I understand that if an event was recorded in two or more of the Gospels it was included, and if it only appears in a single Gospel, then it was left out. That aside, the emotional and spiritual center of this film is, of course, the portrayal of Jesus Christ by British actor Robert Powell. Solid and reliable, usually seen as a faintly upper-class type, Powell had appeared regularly on British TV and in films for over 10yrs without ever hitting the "A-List;" not the most obvious choice to play the Son of God and Redeemer of Mankind! But in a career defining performance, Powell brings to the part - a part that he must have known would either make or break him as an actor - a humanity, generosity of spirit, and humility, that had never been seen before, nor has been seen since. Powell gives us a very "human" Jesus; smiling and laughing with children, sharing a self depreciating joke with members of the Sanhedrin, roaring out his anger and disgust at the moneychangers, traders and Pharisees in the temple, showing compassion for the outcasts and rejects of society, the fear and dread at the prospect of his own inevitable death. He also shows us the mystical, Devine, and spiritual aspects of the character to be sure, but it is the "Man" that makes the portrayal believable. The rest of the cast does similarly sterling work, and reads like a veritable "Who's-Who" of the cream of British and Hollywood acting talent of the time. Standout performances for me include James Farentino as "Simon Peter," with a full-blooded portrayal of an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary events. A simple fisherman who resents being dragged into this "Messiah business," but knowing that his life will never be the same after witnessing the miraculous healing of a cripple, he turns to his friends and sighs, "Why did you have to bring him (Jesus) to me?" Similarly, his denial of Jesus to the mob, and his reaction when he remembers Jesus' words, are equally moving. Ernest Borgnine as "The Centurion" has a very affecting scene when he asks Jesus to heal his dying servant. As a "man of authority" he doesn't need Jesus to come to his house, but understands that if this strange young Rabbi commands a thing to happen, then it will be so. Michael York as "John the Baptist" chews the scenery with aplomb, but you feel there is truth in the performance. Rod Steiger is superb as "Pontius Pilate." A world-weary functionary of Imperial Rome, he wants nothing to do with the "Children of Israel" and their religious quarrels; as long as they pay their taxes, keep the peace, and observe the Law, they can do as they please. At one point, after being informed that Jews cannot enter a Roman house on Passover as they will be "defiled," he wonders, "How can one govern such a people?" His bemusement over what to do with the "dangerous" man the Sanhedrin insists he condemns to death also rings true. Ian Holm as "Zerah," Anne Bancroft as "Mary Magdalene," James Mason as "Joseph of Arimathea," Laurence Olivier as "Nicodemus," Christopher Plummer as "Herod Antipas" and Peter Ustinov as "Herod the Great," all give superb performances in a production that manages to capture the gritty look and feel of the times, without any jarring anachronisms in speech or mannerisms. In addition to the performances above, very special praise has to go to Ian McShane as "Judas Iscariot." As in Powell's rendition of Jesus, McShane gives us a "man," not a caricature. In a beautifully nuanced and multi-layered performance, we see Judas the Zealot, intent on the violent overthrow of Roman rule, become a True Believer after witnessing the power of Christ. Rejecting the old ways, he tries to convince his fellow Zealots that Jesus is the promised Messiah come to save them. But Judas is still thinking in terms of an Earthly kingdom, and is in turn confused, then appalled by Jesus' apparent deliberate alienation of the Sanhedrin. His final "betrayal" is, in his eyes, a last desperate attempt to force Jesus to face the Temple authorities and prove himself to BE the Messiah. The pain and anguish he displays once he realizes he has been duped by the one member of the Sanhedrin he thought he could trust, is all too believable, and can have only one outcome. Unfortunately there're huge amounts of blips, scratches, dirt, compression artifacts etc in evidence; the source material is a British TV mini-series from the late 70's, with the overall picture and sound quality being adequate at best. I would have thought that on a production of this importance, some time - and money! - would have been spent on cleaning up and restoring the original elements. Similarly, the "extra's" are perfunctory; a trailer, some cast Bio's, and a "Living in Biblical times" feature. The first half of the liner notes inside the case tell you how "controversial" this program was considered to be - on this side of the Pond at least! - and the rest of the space is used to tell us what a great director Zefferelli is! This is a very poor way to treat a production of such historical importance - it definitely deserves a full-blown Criterion edition! - however, that being said, please don't let it put you off seeing this excellent, rewarding, and highly recommended series!